Protein Requirement Calculator
Protein is the nutrient Indian diets most often fall short on. Dal, roti and rice carry protein, but hitting a training-level target on a vegetarian plate takes more deliberate planning than most people expect.
This calculator gives you a range rather than one number, because the research gives a range. Where you sit inside it depends on how hard you train and whether you are building or cutting.
This is an estimate for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing a medical condition, speak to your doctor before acting on it.
How it works
We start from your activity level, which sets a band in grams per kilogram of body weight — from 0.8 for a sedentary adult up to 2.0 for someone training hard. Your goal then shifts the band: building adds a little, cutting adds more, because protein protects muscle when calories are low. We cap the range at 2.2 g/kg, beyond which the evidence for extra benefit runs out.
daily protein = your weight in kg x (0.8 to 2.2 g), set by activity and goal
A worked example
A 72 kg person training hard six days a week and trying to build muscle lands at 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg, which is about 115 to 144 g of protein a day. On a vegetarian diet that is a serious amount: roughly two bowls of dal, 200 g of paneer, a cup of curd and a couple of rotis, and you are still counting.
What it cannot tell you
- Kidney disease changes protein needs and this calculator does not account for it. Speak to a doctor before raising your intake.
- Plant proteins vary in how completely they supply essential amino acids, so vegetarians generally do better spreading intake across the day and combining sources.
- Total calories still decide whether you gain or lose. Protein shapes what that change is made of.
Frequently asked
- How much protein do I need a day?
- The Indian RDA baseline is around 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight for sedentary adults. People training regularly generally do better between 1.4 and 2.0 g per kilogram.
- How do I get enough protein on a vegetarian diet?
- Lean on dal, rajma, chana, paneer, curd, soya and milk, and spread them across every meal rather than relying on dinner. Hitting 100 g or more a day is possible but has to be planned.
- Is too much protein bad for you?
- For healthy adults there is no strong evidence of harm at the intakes above. If you have kidney disease, that changes, and you should ask your doctor.
- Do I need a protein supplement?
- Not necessarily. A supplement is a convenience for hitting a target you cannot reach with food, not a requirement. Food first, powder to fill the gap.